The Story of the Big Brother Ponies
by Kohala
Summary: When a baby boy is born in Dream Valley the baby ponies begin to wonder where all the other boys are and why they left. Complete!
1. A special event

Dream Valley was buzzing with excitement. Bubbles had just given birth to twins; Big Top and Toppy. Not only was it an unusual event to bare twins, but one of the babies was a boy. A baby boy had not been born to any pony in Dream Valley in over twenty years and not one boy was left in Dream Valley.  
  
Bubbles and the twins were curled up together on a blanket out in the sun so everyone could see the new babies. Baby Glory stood at her mother's side and watched the baby ponies with bewilderment.  
  
"Mama?" asked Baby Glory. She looked up at her mom. "Where do baby ponies come from?"  
  
Glory frantically tried to come up with an answer that would be appropriate for a pony her daughter's age.  
  
"Well... um, when a mommy pony and a daddy pony love each other very much they... uh..." Glory searched for the right words.  
  
"You don't know, do you?" asked Baby Glory.  
  
"I'm sorry baby," Glory laughed. "I guess I don't."  
  
"Mama?" asked Baby Glory. "Where are all of the daddy ponies? How come I've never seen one?"  
  
The ponies standing around the two of them turned to hear Glory's answer. This question had never been asked before. It was not a subject that the mother ponies wanted to tell their children about. The truth might have frightened them; the truth scared the elder ponies enough as it was... 


	2. The story of the big brother ponies

"I think it's about time they found out," said North Star. "I think they're old enough to understand now."  
  
"I concur," replied Wind Whistler.  
  
"Come sit everyone," said Paradise. "I think It's best if we explain this to everyone at the same time."  
  
About fifty years ago, Dream Valley had a pretty even number of male and female ponies. The big brother ponies (not really big brothers to the other ponies, it was just a name they had been given) were slightly taller than the girls. Their musculature was more defined and their hooves were wrapped with a messy tuft of hair.  
  
Dream Valley was peaceful and problem-free, until the witches from the Volcano of Gloom summoned a large monstrous beast to attack Dream Valley. The big brother ponies did their best to drive the beast out of Dream Valley, with the help of all of the other ponies. They chased the beast out of Dream Valley to a place far away. The beast retreated into a cave and hid itself. From that day on the big brother ponies blocked the cave to keep the beast from returning. Not knowing the strength of the beast, they were unable to come up with a strategy to destroy it. Only a few of the big brother ponies had dared to enter the cave, but those who did, never returned.  
  
The big brother ponies made continuos efforts to destroy the beast, but their main goal was to keep it in the cave, away from their families. Visitations to see the big brother ponies happened very rarely and by a small amount of ponies at a time. None of the baby ponies had ever seen their fathers, uncles, brothers, or grandfathers.  
  
The big brothers refused to return to Dream Valley until the beast was destroyed and they were certain that it, or its offspring, would be able to harm their families.  
  
"Will I ever get to see my daddy?" asked Baby Ribbon.  
  
"I hope so," replied Ribbon. "When the beast is defeated, then you can meet your dad." 


	3. Something to look forward to

Over the next couple of days, many questions were asked about the big brother ponies. Almost incessantly to tell the truth. Photos were brought out, some hung on the walls, and some home videos were shown before bed each night.  
  
"I can't wait to meet my dad!" said Baby Ribbon. "I hope he likes me."  
  
"I can't believe I have a brother," said Baby Quackers. "I can't wait to meet him and my dad!"  
  
"I think I look a lot like my daddy," said Baby North Star.  
  
"Well, a little... I guess," said Baby Gusty.  
  
"Do too!" snapped Baby North Star. "Well, I guess our hair colour is a little different. That's all though!"  
  
"All right girls!" said Gusty. "It's time for bed."  
  
Baby North Star carried a picture of her father, Steamer, to her bed and set it on her pillow.  
  
"Good night," said Posey. "We don't want to hear any noise. It's time for you to go to sleep, all right?"  
  
"OK Posey," said Baby Ribbon.  
  
"Good night," said Baby Glory.  
  
Posey turned the lights of and closed the door so that only a crack of light shone into the room. She and Gusty walked down the corridor and joined the other ponies in the den. Baby North Star stared at the picture of Steamer and smiled.  
  
"Good night daddy," she whispered.  
  
"We shouldn't have told them," said Glory. "They're still too young."  
  
"And now they're expecting them to come home," said Gusty. "How do we tell them that it's probably never going to happen?"  
  
"Don't say that," said Bubbles as she rocked her babies to sleep. "The last time I saw Chief he told me they were close to a way of destroying the beast. They were just waiting for it to come out of the cave."  
  
"And what if that thing has reproduced again?" asked Gusty. "I mean, it's a never-ending cycle. That thing reproduces faster than a rabbit."  
  
"Gusty!" Magic Star laughed.  
  
"It's the truth," laughed Gusty.  
  
"If we're lucky the excitement will die down within the next few days," said Ribbon.  
  
"Yeah," sighed Twilight. "Excuse me." She got up from her spot and walked sadly to the room she shared with Glory and Ribbon.  
  
"Oh..." gasped Glory. "I almost forgot about 4-Speed."  
  
"Oh yeah," said Magic Star. "Gosh, we should make sure she's all right."  
  
"No," said Ribbon. "I think it's best we leave her alone."  
  
Twilight crawled into her bed and pulled her framed picture of 4-Speed out of her nightstand drawer. After gazing at him for a few minutes, she burst into tears and held the frame tightly against her chest. 4-Speed had been one of the ponies that went into the cave... and never came out. 


	4. The Plan

Baby North Star lay in bed, unable to sleep. Thoughts of what her dad was like were running through her mind. She was far too excited to even think about sleeping. She rolled over in her bed and looked at the other baby ponies that were sleeping in the nursery.  
  
"Baby Quackers!" she whispered. "Are you awake?"  
  
"Yup," replied baby Quackers. "I can't sleep. I'm too excited."  
  
"Me too," said Baby North Star.  
  
The two baby ponies spoke in whispers so as not to wake up the other baby ponies or arouse the attention of their mothers. The two ponies talked about what they thought their fathers were doing at that moment and the possibility that they were on their way home at that very moment. With each new thought, their excitement grew and their hushed whispers became loud giggles.  
  
A light turned on in the hallway, capturing the girls' attention. They quickly put their heads back on their pillows and tried their best to pretend they were sleeping. Ribbon poked her head in the door and looked around to see which baby ponies were responsible for the noise. After standing at the door for a few minutes, Ribbon disappeared back into the hallway and the light went out. The two baby ponies stayed completely still, listening closely to the noises out in the hallway. Once they were absolutely certain that the adults had gone to bed, they propped themselves up and looked at each other.  
  
"That was close," baby Quackers giggled quietly.  
  
"I know," replied baby North Star.  
  
She pushed her covers to the end of her bed and walked over to her dresser. She grabbed her school bag and began tossing her things into it.  
  
"What are you doing?" asked baby Quackers.  
  
"I can't wait anymore," replied baby North Star. "I have to meet my dad. Even if it means facing an evil monster."  
  
"Are you crazy?" baby Quackers snapped. "You're going to get into so much trouble!"  
  
Baby North Star looked over at baby Quackers. The look of shock upon her face soon faded into an evil grin. She jumped out of her bed and grabbed her own school bag.  
  
"I take it you're coming then?" asked baby North Star.  
  
"Well, I can't let you go all by yourself," said baby Quackers. "Besides, If you get to meet your dad and an evil monster, then I get to go to."  
  
The girls packed their bags in silence and wandered out into the hallway. Creeping as silently as possible, they slipped through the front door and sped through the darkness. 


	5. A long way from home

"Do you know which way we're supposed to be going?" baby Quackers panted breathlessly.  
  
Baby North Star stopped running and sat down on a large rock. Both baby ponies were out of breath. They had been running for almost an hour through the dark. Neither of them actually knew where they were going, they're only thought at that time was how they'd get away from paradise estate without anyone knowing. Baby Quackers flopped onto the ground and sighed.  
  
"I'm tired," she yawned.  
  
"We can't go to sleep," said baby North Star. "It isn't safe out here and we can't waste any more time. We must find our dads!"  
  
Baby Quackers groaned and followed baby North Star, who had already begun walking through the dark again. Not wanting to get left behind, baby Quackers ran to catch up with baby North Star and stayed by her side. They walked without pausing for another two hours. They were both so tired that they almost seemed to be sleepwalking.  
  
"Do you think they know we're gone yet?" baby North Star yawned.  
  
"Probably," replied baby Quackers. "Let's go find somewhere safe to sleep. I can't walk any farther."  
  
"Me neither," baby North Star groaned.  
  
The two baby ponies continued walking until they reached the end of the forest. When emerging from the darkness of the trees, they had to squint in order to see. The light from the morning sun stung their eyes. Only a few yards in front of them stood a tall, red barn. The two ponies wandered over to the barn and slowly pushed the big, red door of the barn open.  
  
The inside of the barn was dark and very quite. The occupants of the barn were still asleep and were not aware of the strangers in their home. The two ponies found a section of the barn that was not occupied and collapsed into a deep sleep.  
  
Hours later, the sun completely filled the barn with light. All of the barn occupants were out for the day, leaving baby North Star and baby Quackers to sleep in peace. A small calf peaked into the barn and tiptoed over to the baby ponies. Without making a sound, the calf wandered around them then knelt in between them. He quietly lifted his hoof and tapped baby Quackers on the shoulder.  
  
Baby Quackers yawned and looked up at the baby calf. Her eyes shot open and she let out a horrified scream. Baby North Star awoke suddenly and leapt into the air. The baby calf jumped up and ran behind a nearby hay bail. He poked his head out from his hiding spot and waited for the girls to settle down.  
  
"Sorry," said the baby calf. "I didn't mean to scare you."  
  
"We weren't scared," said baby Quackers defiantly. "We always wake up like that."  
  
"Where are you two from?" asked the baby calf.  
  
"Dream Valley," replied baby North Star.  
  
"Wow," said the baby calf. "You're a long way from home. What are your names?"  
  
"I'm baby Quackers and that's baby North Star," replied baby Quackers.  
  
"Who are you?" asked baby Quackers.  
  
"I'm baby Leafy."... 


	6. On the farm

Back at Paradise Estate, all of the ponies were beginning to wake up. Cupcake and Applejack were in the kitchen, making breakfast as quietly as possible. Twilight was sitting silently at the dining room table, absently stirring her mug of cocoa. She was still in her own world, thinking about 4-Speed. Glory and Gusty soon walked into the room and broke the silence.

"Have baby North Star or Baby Quackers been in here this morning?" asked Glory.

"No," replied Cupcake. "Why? Are they missing?"

"They weren't in their room," replied Gusty. "And no one has seen or heard from them."

"North Star is doing a quick check around the estate," said Glory. "Hopefully they've just run off to play with the sea ponies."

"Do any of the baby ponies know anything?" asked Applejack.

Glory and Gusty shook their heads. Twilight looked up from her cocoa and walked over to the window. She spotted North Star flying around trying to find the two baby ponies. She turned back to the other ponies and thought for a second.

"Has anyone tried winking out?" she asked. Both unicorns shook their heads. "I'll try winking to wherever they are," she suggested. "If they're within two miles, I'll be able to find them."

"Good idea," said Glory.

Twilight closed her eyes and immediately disappeared from the room. Within a few seconds, she reappeared.

"Did you find them?" asked Cupcake.

"No," replied Twilight. "Why on earth would they be so far away?"

While the ponies pondered where the two baby ponies could be, baby Quackers and baby North Star were just finishing breakfast with baby Leafy, baby Lucky Leaf, baby Woolly and baby Fleecy.

"Thank you so much," said baby North Star. "That was great!"

"You're welcome," said baby Fleecy.

They all walked together to the edge of the farmyard. At the end of the property line, the farm animals stopped walking.

"Thanks for stay for breakfast," said baby Woolly. "Good luck."

"I really hope you find your daddies," said baby Lucky Leaf. "Be careful."

Baby Quackers and baby North Star began making their way in the direction that they had been pointed. They were once again headed toward the caves that their fathers were working. Baby Quackers looked back at the farm animals.

"Thanks for everything. And don't worry," she said. "We won't have any trouble."


	7. Intrusion

The baby ponies walked for hours without stopping. Their farm friends had pointed them in the right direction and now there was nothing stopping them from reaching their destination. Neither of them had said a word since leaving the farm. They were far too busy imagining what it was going to be like to meet their fathers. A low growl suddenly interrupted the peaceful silence. Baby North Star looked over at Baby Quackers and stopped walking.

"What was that?" she whimpered.

"Sorry," said Baby Quackers. "That was my stomach. I'm starving."

Baby North Star hadn't realised how hungry she was until just then. It had to have been over six hours since they'd had something to eat.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

"Don't worry," said Baby Quackers. "We just need to find some food. There has to be something around here to eat."

The ponies continued walking, searching the trees and bushes for some type of fruit or berry to eat. They weren't sure if it was just because they were so hungry, but they could both smell something cooking. Baby Quackers put her nose in the air and tried to follow the smell.

"Do you smell that too?" asked Baby North Star.

"Yeah," replied Baby Quackers. "It smells like... toast."

Baby North Star leapt into the air and flew as high as she could to see if she could spot where the smell was coming from. About a mile ahead of them she could see smoke rising from a spot in the forest.

"This way!" she called down to Baby Quackers." She quickly began flying toward the smoke. Baby Quackers ran along behind Baby North Star, trying to keep an eye on her guide as well as everything around her. The last thing she wanted to do right now was run face first into a tree.

When they got closer to the smoke, Baby North Star landed beside Baby Quackers. The smell was very strong now and was driving the hungry babies crazy. They hid behind a large bush and tried to make out what was cooking.

The area seemed to be deserted. There was a small fire pit with a plate full of barbecued toast and scrambled eggs beside it. Baby Quackers crept out from behind the bush and slowly made her way over to the plate of food. Baby North Star quickly grabbed her friend's tail in her mouth and pulled her back behind the bush.

"Hey!" Baby Quackers growled. "What'd you do that for!"

"Shh!" Baby North Star hissed.

A large three-headed dog walked over to the fire and sat down. They obviously hadn't noticed either of the baby ponies. A second creature, a baby dragon only slightly smaller than the dog, also sat by the fire.

"What do we do?" whispered Baby North Star. She looked over at Baby Quackers, who was drooling over the toast and eggs.

The two creatures began dishing out their meals. The dog's three heads and the baby dragon began talking to each other and laughing.

"They don't look very mean," said Baby Quackers. Before Baby North Star could say anything, Baby Quackers walked out from behind the trees. The dog and the dragon stopped eating and looked over at Baby Quackers.


	8. Monsters

Baby Quackers quickly realised what she had just done. She stood in complete fear, not knowing whether or not she should try to run away. The three heads of the dog were all staring at her, none of them blinking. The baby dragon turned his head to one side and seemed quite puzzled.

"Can we help you?" asked one of the heads. His voice was softer than Baby Quackers had expected.

"Well look at her," said another head. "She's starving. Come on dear, have some food."

"Don't take the end piece," said the third head. "I called that piece. It's mine."

Baby Quackers looked puzzled now. This large, monstrous dog was actually very kind. She was still frozen to the spot though. She wasn't sure if she could trust a dog with three heads.

"Well, come on," said the first head. "You are hungry, aren't you?"

Baby Quackers walked over to the fire pit and took the plate of toast and eggs that the dog handed her. Baby North Star wandered sheepishly out from behind the bushes. She stood behind Baby Quackers and looked up at the dog.

"Hello," said the middle head. "How many of you are there?"

"Just us two, sir," replied Baby Quackers.

"Well, come on and sit down," said the middle head. "There's plenty of food for everyone."

Baby North Star sat beside Baby Quackers and took a plate of toast and eggs. The two ponies ate in silence, occasionally sneaking a look at the huge three-headed dog and the dragon.

"So, what are you two doing in the middle of nowhere all by yourselves?" asked the baby Dragon. "It's really not safe here. There are monsters all over the place here."

"Come on now Sid," said the middle head. "Don't scare them."

"Well, there are," said the head on the right.

The middle head turned and head-butted the right head. The right head growled and attacked the middle head. The head on the left merely rolled his eyes and sighed.

"You'll have to excuse them," said the left head. "They both have a bit of a temper."

The baby ponies couldn't help but crack a timid smile.

"I'm Lou," said the left head. "My brother here in the middle is Ray and the on the other end there is Hal. We're what you call a Cerberus."

"I'm Sid," said the baby dragon with a mouthful of eggs.

"Manners Sid," scolded Lou. "Especially in front of new guests."

"I'm Baby Quackers and this is Baby North Star," said Baby Quackers. "We're looking for our daddies."

"Maybe we can help," said Hal. He and Ray stopped fighting and looked back over at the baby ponies.

The two baby ponies looked at each other and nodded. They both agreed to have the cerberus and the baby dragon help them find their fathers. They helped clean up after the meal and followed the cerberus into a large cave. At the end of the tunnel they had been travelling through, they ended up in a quaint little home. There was a nicely decorated living room and tunnels leading into two separate bedrooms.

"We'll sleep here for the night," said Ray. "Then we'll look for your fathers tomorrow. It's much too dark to go outside now."


	9. On their way

The next morning, baby Quackers and baby North Star wandered back outside followed by the Cerberus and Sid. As promised, the Cerberus and Sid were going to help the baby ponies find their fathers. The further they wandered through the forest, the scarier the forest began to look. Flowers were replaced by moss and brown shrubs and the trees seemed to take on a life-like appearance that stared menacingly down at them.

"I think we're getting close to the monster," baby North Star whispered. Baby Quackers looked over at her and nodded. The two of them walked quickly behind Sid and the Cerberus. As they walked out of the forest, the sun nearly blinded them. They had been in the dark forest so long that they hadn't realized it was still daylight.

"Are we there yet?" asked baby Quackers. "My feet are starting to hurt."

Sid pointed his finger in the direction of a large cliff surrounded by another forest. "We're going down there," he stated simply. "It will probably take another hour or more." Baby Quackers groaned inwardly.

"Come on baby Quackers," said baby North Star. "We made it this far. We might as well keep going. Just think… we're going to meet our dads today!" Baby Quackers smiled.

"Oh yeah," she said excitedly. "Let's go!" She began running toward their next destination, but was pulled back by her tail. She looked back to see her tail in Ray's mouth.

"We're not out of danger yet," said Hal. "We still have to be careful and stick together."

Twilight nuzzled 4-Speed's picture then placed it under her pillow. She looked out through her window at the dozens of ponies running around trying to find the missing babies. As she looked back at her pillow she suddenly realized where the baby ponies had gone. Without letting anyone know where she was going, she quickly winked out. It was a long way to where the big brother ponies were, so she had to wink in and out a few times at different distances. She stopped just a few kilometers from where the big brother ponies were camped out when she saw baby North Star and baby Quackers walking alongside the Cerberus and Sid. Rather than approaching them, she thought it would be best if she stayed behind and kept an eye on them. Maybe it would be nice to let the baby ponies meet their fathers.


	10. Closer

Wow, I haven't updated this is a year! Sorry about that everybody. I'm hoping to finish it this weekend without cutting it short. I don't want to disappoint. Thank you all for the really nice reviews! I really appreciate it! Well, I hope you enjoy the next few chapters. Happy Reading!

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The hike down toward the camp was unusually quiet. Both baby ponies were at a complete loss for words with the build up of excitement and simultaneous terror. They couldn't wait to meet their fathers, uncles, and brothers, but at the same time they were not looking forward to facing the monsters that were keeping the Big Brother ponies too occupied to come home.

Sid cut ahead of them and peered through the last group of bushes that would leave them with any source of protection. From this point on, they would be completely exposed. Sid turned to look at the baby ponies.

"I hope you know what you're getting yourselves into," said Sid. "This is going to be dangerous." The baby ponies nodded. The Cerberus moved to Sid's side and looked out at the open field. They could still remember when that field was a beautiful shade of green with millions of tiny flowers scattered everywhere. Wildlife used to congregate in this field every summer to soak up the sun and raise their families. Now, the entire field was brown. There were no living plants for miles. Some patches of land were still smoking from recent attacks and battles.

Lou took a deep breath and turned to the baby ponies. "We'll take you as far as the camp," he explained. "But that's as far as we dare go. It's not safe for creatures like us out there. It's not safe for anyone really."

"Once you've been reunited with your families, you should be in good hands," Ray continued. "They'll have to take care of you."

"Thanks for taking us this far," said Baby Quackers. "There's no way we could have made it alone."

Hal nodded. "Let's go," he said gruffly. They pushed through the bushes and began walking through the open field.

Twilight stood and watched from behind the bushes. She didn't want to wink over to them and startle the Cerberus. They didn't look like they were posing a threat to the baby ponies, but she didn't want to do anything that might change that. As they moved further out of her view, she began searching for something to wink over to and hide behind. Hiding places in this field were few and far between. The stones scattered around the area were far too small to hide behind.

She decided to chance it. She winked over to one of the larger stones and crouched down as far as she could. She wasn't far from the baby ponies or their guides, but she figured if any of them turned around, she could wink back into the trees before they could see her.

Sid stopped near a patch of dead grass and began pushing it aside; uncovering what looked like a secret tunnel. The Cerberus entered first, followed by the baby ponies and Sid, who quickly re-covered the tunnel behind himself. The Cerberus led them all through the tunnel. It was quite small and extremely dark. Luckily, the Cerberus was able to see through the dark better than the baby ponies. They were able to make it through the tunnel without any problems, but the baby ponies continually ran into each other as well as the tunnel walls. They thought it was funny at first, but it soon grew old.

They reached the end of the tunnel, which led into a large cave, which had a very powerful sulfur smell to it. As their eyes adjusted to the sudden exposure to light, they could see the cave was packed full of dragons of all sizes. This was obviously their den. There were baby dragons running around, playing tag and hide-and-seek. The adults merely smiled and rolled their eyes.

"Are these the monsters?" Baby Northstar asked in a whisper. Sid smiled and tried not to laugh.

"No," he chuckled. "This is my family." A few dragons noticed Sid and waved. "I used to live here, but I didn't like living so close to the monsters."

"What do the monsters look like?" asked Baby Quackers. "How scary are they?"

"They're really scary," replied Sid. "Come. Follow me." The Cerberus left to talk to some of Sid's relatives while the baby ponies followed Sid through another tunnel. The tunnel ended outside, at the top of a large hill. They were hidden from the monsters by a few shrubs near the tunnel opening.

As the baby ponies peered over the shrubs, they couldn't believe their eyes. They stared down in disbelief at the congregation of monsters outside the cave. A few of the dragons had ventured outside to face them, but the monsters were able to fight them back into the safety of their cave. Baby Quackers looked at Sid, her mouth open in disbelief.


	11. Life Changing Discoveries

Baby Northstar looked down at the "monsters." They were matted with dirt and blood. Some of them looked as if they hadn't slept in days. They probably hadn't. The fact that these were the creatures that had given Sid and his family so much grief was enough to make her sick. These so-called monsters were her own flesh and blood. Down near the entrance to the cave, keeping Sid's family imprisoned in their own home, were the Big Brother ponies.

"Sid, those are ponies down there!" Baby Quackers exclaimed. "They're not the monsters!"

"Well, my family isn't the monster!" Sid argued. "Those monsters down there have been keeping us captive in this cave for years! Before they got here, we were happy. This place used to be beautiful until they came and ruined everything!"

"Sid, please don't get mad," Baby Northstar pleaded. "This is just a big mistake. We just need to go down there and work this all out."

"Those monsters don't talk," said Sid angrily as he turned back toward the tunnel. "They're a bunch of murderers!" Both of the baby ponies grimaced.

"We need to fix this," said Baby Quackers. "We've got to go down there and tell the Big Brothers that they're making a mistake."

Inside the cave, Sid moved quickly over to a corner to be alone. The Cerberus saw him, but thought it best to leave him alone for awhile. Twilight peered out from the tunnel that the baby ponies had taken to get to the cave. She gasped as she saw the hundreds of dragons within the cave. She knew that the monsters had reproduced, but she hadn't realized the extent of it. She suddenly realized that the Big Brothers were fighting a losing battle. What scared her worse was the fact that she could see the Cerberus, but she couldn't see the baby ponies anywhere.

The baby ponies ran through the tunnel they had taken to get outside and ran back into the cave. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief when she saw them. A few of the dragons took notice of the baby ponies, but having seen them come in with Sid and the Cerberus, they weren't too concerned. The baby ponies ran deep into the cave, trying to find Sid. They didn't realize they had already passed him. All of the dragons seemed to look alike.

As they ventured further into the cave, they found themselves without the company of any of the dragons. The cave led into what looked like a dungeon. Most of the cells were open apart from a few cells near the back wall. There was one pony that caught there eye immediately. He lifted his head, expecting to see some of the dragons. His eyes widened as his gaze met that of two young foals that he had only seen in pictures. He quickly got to his feet and approached the bars of his cell.


	12. Going to Make it Right

"4-Speed?" Baby Northstar gasped. It was like staring death in the face. They had seen dozens of pictures of him, but the adult ponies had told them he had died. He knew that the methods the Big Brothers had been using to destroy the monsters were completely unsuccessful and decided to take a new approach. He had run into the cave, hoping to distract the dragons enough to give the Big Brothers the upper hand in their battle. It hadn't worked. He disappeared into the cave and was assumed dead.

"Am I glad to see you," said 4-Speed. His eyes watered slightly as they approached his cell. "Can you get me out of here?"

Baby Quackers began looking around as Baby Northstar continued to move closer to 4-Speed's cell. She didn't know what to say, all she could do was stare at him in awe. Baby Quackers noticed a ring of keys hanging on one of the walls. She grabbed it in her teeth and yanked it off of its hook. She ran back to 4-Speed's cell and quickly jammed the key into the lock. The cell door popped open, giving 4-Speed his first experience of freedom in a very long time. He nuzzled the foals closely and tried not to allow himself to break down.

"We should go," said Baby Quackers. "We need to get to the Big Brothers." Before they could begin walking back toward the main area of the cave, 4-Speed ran in front of them and blocked their path.

"No," he said sternly. "It's far too dangerous for you girls out there. We need to figure out a way to get past those monsters without them seeing us."

"It's ok," said Baby Northstar. "We already have a plan. You need to stay out of sight and let us do this. We've made it this far. You just need to trust us." Baby Quackers nodded in agreement. 4-Speed stood, thinking for a moment before finally agreeing.

The baby ponies ran back out to the main area of the cave; 4-Speed followed, but stopped in a spot where the dragons wouldn't notice him. Sid approached them as they moved closer to the entrance of the cave.

"You can't go out there," he said. He didn't look angry anymore. He looked panicked. "You two need to get out of here and go home."

"We can't Sid," said Baby Quackers. "There's something we need to do. We need to make this right."

Before Sid could stop them they ran out of the cave. They were standing in between the dragons and the Big Brothers. Both sides seemed to be caught off-guard.

"Stop!" Baby Northstar screamed.


	13. Breaking Out and Breaking Down

"Please stop," Baby Northstar continued. "This is all a big mistake!" She wasn't normally the most out-going pony in Pony Land, but this was important. She had everyone's attention and she was going to get her point across. "Both of you think the other is the monster! You're both wrong. The witches turned you both against each other so that there wouldn't be so many ponies to fight for Dream Valley. It's the witches' fault that all of you are fighting."

Both groups were speechless, even Baby Quackers was caught by surprise by Baby Northstar's sudden burst of courage. Twilight winked over to the Big Brothers' camp and watched as Baby Northstar desperately tried to stop everyone from fighting.

"You don't have to fight each other any more," Baby Northstar explained. "Neither one of you wants to fight, you just think you're protecting yourselves, but you aren't." Sid walked toward the baby ponies and turned to Baby Quackers.

"Is she for real?" he whispered. Baby Quackers nodded. As they looked around, they noticed a lot of open mouths and stunned expressions.

"She's telling the truth!" Sid shouted. He looked back at his family. More and more dragons were approaching the entrance of the cave. He knew that if a member from both sides was explaining the misunderstanding, there would be more of a chance that people would believe them. He was right. The Big Brothers began backing away from the cave and allowing the dragons outside.

"But you attacked Dream Valley," said Chief.

"Only because the witches told us that you were coming to attack us," said one of the older dragons. "You're the ones that trapped us in this cave."

"We were just protecting our families," said Wigwam. "We had to keep you from getting to them."

"See," said Baby Northstar. "This was all just a big misunderstanding."

"Wow, we are so sorry," said Chief. "I can't believe it took us so long to finally figure this out."

The dragons and the Big Brothers began crowding around the entrance of the cave, apologizing for the years of fighting and misunderstandings. Within a few minutes, everyone was at least chuckling over the stupidity of letting the witches turn everyone against each other. Twilight, however, was even more depressed than she had been when she got there. Her husband had died for no reason.

As she turned to find Baby Quackers and Baby Northstar, she caught sight of something that grabbed her attention. 4-Speed appeared in the entrance of the cave. He squinted from the light, which he hadn't seen in a very, very long time. The second his eyes adjusted, he found himself staring at a very surprised Twilight. The two of them ran toward each other and embraced.

"I thought you were dead!" Twilight sobbed. She allowed herself to break down in front of him.

"So did I," 4-Speed whispered. He tried to be strong, but a few tears were able to escape and ran down his face.


	14. A Happy Ending

"Thank you so much," said Sid as the ponies prepared to leave. "I can't possibly thank you enough for this." Baby Northstar blushed.

"I didn't do anything really," she said modestly. "You helped." Sid smiled and wrapped his arms around her neck to hug her.

"All right girls," said 4-Speed. "We've got to start heading back to Dream Valley before it gets dark. The baby ponies nodded and quickly said goodbye to their new friends Sid and the Cerberus. Looking back at all of the dragons as they took full advantage of their freedom, it was hard to believe that this area had been a battle ground only a few hours ago.

With the end to all the fighting, it would only be a short time before the area would begin to flourish and look like that beautiful area the Cerberus had once seen. And as soon as the flutter ponies arrived, things would begin to look a lot nicer in a much shorter period of time. As an apology for all of the unnecessary violence over the last decade, the Big Brothers had offered to have the flutter ponies come and help revive the plants in the area. They felt it was the least they could do.

Seeing the herd of ponies approach Dream Valley came as a complete shock to the little ponies. It was a relief to see Baby Quackers and Baby Northstar come home again, but more attention was focused on the fact that all of the Big Brothers were home for good. A huge feast was held in honor of the two baby ponies that had risked their lives to bring their families back together.

Families were soon reconnected as the baby ponies were introduced to their fathers, uncles, brothers, and grandfathers. Chief walked around with his chest puffed out. He was the proud new father of twins. He stayed by Bubbles' side throughout the entire feast, trying to reconnect and get to know his new children.

Twilight and 4-Speed had disappeared from the feast and sat by the pool in Paradise Estate. They had a lot of catching up to do and felt it would be best if they had some privacy.

"This is more than I ever could have wished for. I mean, now I have a dad and a brother!" said Baby Northstar. "I can't believe we did it." Baby Quackers smiled.

"No," said Baby Quackers. "You did it."


End file.
